Ali Vaez is the Iran project director at International Crisis Group. Consulting closely with all sides in the nuclear negotiations for the past few years, he led the Crisis Group’s efforts in helping to bridge the gaps between Iran and the P5+1 and is renowned as one of the foremost experts on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Before joining Crisis Group, he headed the Iran project at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, DC. Trained as a scientist, Vaez has more than a decade of experience in journalism. He has written widely on Iranian affairs and is a regular contributor to mainstream media outlets. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University from 2008 to 2010 and holds a PhD from the University of Geneva and a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.